Three books young readers can sink their teeth into

I am happily spending the month of November surrounded by piles of books. I am reading along with other kid lit book bloggers as we choose our favorite children’s and YA books published in the past year. I am serving on the Cybils Easy Reader and Early Chapter Book committee as we choose the best books which combine literary merit with kid appeal published in the past year. It is not an easy task but it is fun.

I love to look for themes among books and this year’s nominees include books about a kid favorite topic – teeth!

I Lost My Tooth!
By Mo Williams
Published by: Disney-Hyperion
Easy Reader ages 4-8
86 pages

Themes/topics: teeth, squirrels, friendship, lost and found

It is a big deal when a child loses a tooth. But it is an even bigger deal when the tooth gets lost. In this book featuring the Unlimited Squirrels, Zoom’s lost baby tooth causes a wild search as his friends try to help her find it. Written with speech bubbles, I Lost My Tooth! is a laugh-out-loud story which includes jokes, quizzes, information about squirrel teeth, and acorns with personalities. Young readers will love this one!

 

My Toothbrush is Missing!
By Jan Thomas
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Easy Reader ages 4-8
48 pages

Themes/ topics: Toothbrushes, lost and found, friendship

Instead of a lost tooth, Dog has lost his toothbrush. The Giggle Gang  wants to help find it but they have a problem. They don’t know what a toothbrush looks like!

As Dog describes the toothbrush, Donkey leads the others with hilarious results. Yes, the toothbrush is found but Dog will probably need to get a new one. The bright illustrations, text written in speech bubbles, and the silliness of the characters will children reading this one over and over.

 

King & Kayla and the Case of the Lost Tooth
By Dori Hillestad Butler (author) and Nancy Meyers (illustrator)
Early Chapter Book ages 7-9
48 pages
Publisher: Peachtree

Themes/ topics – lost teeth, mysteries, dogs

This early chapter book is written in the first-person voice of a golden retriever named King, who is a detective who works alongside his human companion, Kayla. When Kayla arrives home from school, she is excited to show off the tooth she lost. Unfortunately, the tooth is missing from the tooth fairy pillow. King uses his nose and Kayla uses deductive reasoning to search for the missing tooth.

Children will enjoy solving the mystery along with King and Kayla. The chapters are a perfect length for transitioning readers and the colorful illustrations add humor to the text. The book features diverse characters and King’s enthusiastic personality shines on each page. This is the fourth book in the series of King & Kayla books.

My only concern is that the inclusion of the tooth fairy may not be appreciated by all families.